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Manitobans will go to the polls on October 3rd for the province’s 43rd general election after Premier Heather Stefanson dropped Manitoba’s provincial election writ on Tuesday.
With Heather Stefanson’s PCs and Wab Kinew’s NDP close in the polls, the Manitoba NDP is looking to form government after losing the 2016 election where they dropped from 37 seats to 14. This will be Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew’s second campaign in the role. Heather Stefanson won PC leadership in 2021 after former Premier Brian Pallister resigned, making this her first general election as party leader.
The Manitoba PCs will be entering the campaign with 35 seats, while the NDP currently hold 18. The Manitoba Liberal’s currently hold 3 seats in legislature and are led by Dougald Lamont. The riding of Morden-Winkler has been vacant since early 2023.
Announcements from the Campaign Trail
The Manitoba PC’s launched their official campaign with a message focused on increasing affordability by cutting taxes for Manitobans. In Winnipeg’s Silver Heights neighbourhood, Stefanson promised to half the income tax paid on the first $47,000 earned by Manitobans over a 4-year period. When fully implemented, it is estimated the income tax cut will save most people $1,900 per year and cost the government $150 million annually. If re-elected, the party also committed to directing Manitoba Hydro to remove the federal carbon tax from energy bills. Prior to the official campaign period, PC Leader Heather Stefanson promised to litigate the federal carbon tax removal if necessary. The Manitoba PCs have committed to undertaking these initiatives and balancing the provincial budget by 2025.
The Manitoba NDP held a pre- election rally on September 4th where Leader Wab Kinew rallied supporters around a message of affordability and making significant investments in healthcare. This rally was also held in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba campus. Winnipeg holds 32 of 57 seats making it the key election battle ground. If elected, the Manitoba NDP will suspend the provincial gas tax which is set at 14 cents per litre. Kinew bolstered prior commitments to make significant investments into healthcare by reopening 3 Winnipeg emergency rooms closed under the PC government and hiring hundreds of new healthcare staff. If the party forms government on October 3rd, they will attempt to freeze Manitoba Hydro rates for a year by covering $37.5 million of annual fees the public utility pays the government. The Manitoba NDP has also promised to balance the provincial budget in their first term without increasing the provincial sales tax.
The Manitoba Liberal Party, who does not currently hold official party status, is looking to rectify that by increasing their seat count. The party came close to gaining an additional seat in the Fort Whyte byelection, narrowly losing the Winnipeg seat by 200 votes. If elected, the party is focused on electoral reform and supporting small businesses. Under a government led by Dougald Lamont, a ranked ballot voting system would be introduced. The Manitoba Liberals also recommitted to establishing a business development bank. In 2019, the party pitched the same public bank idea. It would cost the province $100 million in the first year to provide small businesses with accessible loans and equity investments.
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